


Grounded

by Imperator_Fury



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 14:02:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imperator_Fury/pseuds/Imperator_Fury
Summary: Captain America can't always be perfect, and when he's not, she's there.





	Grounded

"Don't. Just don't, Steve." She pulls the bandages tight across his knuckles, her movements jerky, no longer gentle as they were long ago, when they started this journey.

She's quiet for a long moment, her eyes focused on her task, brows furrowed and jaw clenched. He knows better than to talk right now, experience has taught him that.

 

As she finishes his left hand and moves over to his right shoulder, he sees it. Her shoulders droop, she lets out a long breath, her eyes close for a moment longer than what can be considered simply a blink. 

 

"I just-..." Her bottom lip quivers and she drags her teeth over it slowly, a ragged breath sending a ripple through her body as her eyes meet his. 

 

"You know what you mean to me." She reaches for him, presses a shaking hand to his bruised cheek. He leans into it, his bandaged hand coming up to hold hers there, to stop time for just this moment, to cherish this time when it's only them, and when she's his.

 

"I love you." This is what keeps him present, keeps him grounded. He gives everything to the world, to the public, he'll give his body time and again, his spirit, his strength, his perseverance, his life. Because he's Captain America, a symbol, an idol, a hero.

 

But _this_ ,  _this_ is only for her. For her, he is vulnerable. For her, he is weak and open and tired and scared. Because with her, he's just _Steve_. A skinny kid from Brooklyn who doesn't know how to walk away from a fight. A guy who comes home to his girl to get patched up. A man who needs to hear that someone, not the world, just  _someone_ needs him there at the end of the night.

 

" _I love you._ " He says again, because he knows that she won't. She said it once, in the beginning, when they were new and she thought maybe one day he could stop. Now he says it, and her eyes say it too, but her mouth twists and quivers with the effort to hold it back because saying it hurts too much now that she knows he can't, he  _won't_.

 

"I love you." He curls his hand around hers and pulls her in, and she screws her eyes tight, but a tear still slips through.

 

"I love you." He presses a kiss to her wrist, to her shoulder, her neck. And then he presses both hands firmly to her cheeks, his thumbs moving gently back and forth, sweeping away the tears that make there way out. 

 

" _I love you_." He pleads, he pulls her further in, he presses his face into her neck, and his arms wrapped around her, and he crushes her into him because he  _needs_  her. Because he can't lose her. Because if she leaves he'll never be whole again.

 

"Steve..." She lets out a shuddering breath, and slowly she returns his embrace, her hands shifting up beneath his shirt, feeling the heat of his bruised skin radiate through her hands and up her arms and all over, surrounding her in his warmth. 

 

" _Steve_..." She breathes again, and in it tries to express all of herself, everything she can't bring herself to say out loud.  _Steve, I miss you. I wish you would stop. Steve, you'll get yourself killed. I'm scared. Steve...I love you. Why can't I be enough? Steve... Steve, I just need you, nothing else. Stay._

 

But she doesn't say it, because she doesn't have to. He knows because she's said it all before, but he can't change or he won't, and either way it doesn't matter because her heart beats for him even when she begs it not to. So she hands it over to him to be shattered over and over again.

 

"Steve..." She calls as he scatters kisses along her skin, his hands trailing over her body, blunt nails digging into her hips as he pulls her impossibly closer still.

 

"Steve..." She murmurs against him as articles of clothing fall to the floor and her own lips and fingers work to leave their marks on his skin.

 

" _Steve_!" She cries out as he moves inside her, bringing them both steadily to the edge of oblivion. And as they reach it, he leans in and captures her moans and cries with a kiss so fierce it almost starts her up again. When he pulls away a soft whine escapes her, but he quiets her again with small soft kisses, and then with the gentle touch of his nose as he trails it along her cheek and jaw to finally nuzzle into her neck. 

 

She feels it then in the way that the curve of his lips touches her skin, that sweet lazy smile he reserves just for his time with her, just in these moments. His grip on her tightens, holding her close and feeling her breathe beneath him, until slowly sleep overtakes him and she feels his grip slacken. She smiles as she runs her fingers through his hair, because all the pain in the world is worth it if only she can have these moments with him. Slowly, she turns her head to press her lips against his temple, and mouths the words she can't bear to say out loud any more:

 

" _I love you, Steve Rogers_."


End file.
